Tamworth Deputy Mayor welcomes new graffiti laws

Changes to the state's graffiti laws have been welcomed by the Tamworth Regional Council.

The Graffiti Control Amendment Act passed the NSW Parliament on Thursday.

It introduces a new offence for graffiti that can't be removed by wiping, water or detergent, and clarifies that Courts can include a community clean-up order as part of a graffiti offender's sentence.

Deputy Mayor Russell Webb says graffiti is a huge issue for the region and the new laws should make it easier to prosecute offenders.

Councillor Webb says the council has made a designated graffiti area, but vandals continue to tag other parts of the city.

He says an annual voluntary cleanup day is helping, but the perpetrators should be forced to clean up their graffiti.

“The clean up of that graffiti costs the community thousands and thousands of dollars,” he said.

“We have a budget for clean up, which we could be spending on other things like potholes, but we have to have a budget for quite a few thousand dollars to assist in the clean up."

“Graffiti does make the town look very messy."

Councillor Webb welcomes the tough penalties.

“It modernises the legislation to some extent,” he said.

“It could be a 12 month jail sentence, [or] it could be a $2,200 fine, so there are quite a range of penalties that could be imposed on an offender."

“I think repeat offenders are the ones that should really cop the very heavy penalties," Councillor Webb said.

“I'd like to see the Magistrates in our area dish out penalties that would include clean-up.”